Feather of Truth
by Nemisor
Summary: When Atem dies his heart is weighed against the feather of truth, in order to find out if he have sinned. But does the feather always tell the whole trurth? Or is there something more?


_A/N: Not liking it.. But I don't wanna drop out.. Never!_

_Totally AU!  
_

**Feather of Truth**

Atem opened his eyes. If he hadn't known any better, he would have panicked. But he felt calm. He remembered all the lessons his priests had taught him, about this place. Land in the west, Duat, an afterlife. This place may be full of demons, but Atem was not worried. He was after all the pharaoh, and his priests had probably casted the best spells they knew to protect him. Of course Atem couldn't be sure, he was after all, pretty much dead.

And of course he had the Book of Dead, a book full of spells which would help him to get through all the obstacles.

Atem would have liked to stay where he was a little longer, it seemed so peaceful. But it would be no use to just stand there and not do anything, so Atem started walking.

Atem, son of Akhenamkhanen, and the pharaoh of Egypt was dead. He had died at age of 27, quite young. He had fallen ill, and nothing could be done to stop it.

Briefly Atem wondered how the people of Egypt had took his death, but then he came to a conclusion that it really wasn't his business anymore. He should focus on what was ahead. The weighing of heart. Atem had been a good person, kind too, and he had tried to be as good ruler as one can be.

But he was still worried. He would face the gods, his creators, and they would know everything about him, his deepest fears, his darkest secrets and some things Atem didn't even know about himself. To gods everyone was equal, and it scared Atem, who was born a ruler. He had always been above everyone else. But Atem was not arrogant, at least he thought so.

In fact he had been kind to his people, almost too kind if you asked his priests, since he refused to even give death sentences. Surely the gods would see that.

Suddenly Atem realized that he actually hadn't moved at all. All he had been doing was repeating his last conversation with his priests in his head, how they had said that he would surely get through the weighing of heart.

With new courage he started his trip through the land of Duat. And he met many demons, and faced many dangers, but he got through all it, just like his priests had anticipated.

Finally Atem was there. All forty two gods stared at him, but they didn't seem evil. This didn't seem unfamiliar, and all of Atem's nervousness disappeared. He was at home, here with his gods.

There, he saw the scale, and next to it sat Ma'at, the goddess of truth, just like Atem had always thought she's look like. And on the throne sat Osiris, the god of rebirth.

"Atem," he said. "You have come to us, and it's time to weigh your heart. What do you have to say?"

"My heart is free of sin. I have not stolen. I have not slain men and women. I have not uttered lies. I have wronged none, I have done no evil. I have not shut my ears to the words of truth. I have not committed sin "

"Is that so?" Osiris asked.

And Atem repeated everything he had said, just like he was told to do.

"We'll see about that," Osiris said finally. "It's time to weigh your heart."

And the soul of Pharaoh Atem watched how his heart was put to the other scale, and he feather form the hair of Ma'at to other. And Atem wished, he wished so badly his heart would not weigh more than the feather.

Atem closed his eyes, he just couldn't look. He didn't want his heart to be fed to that horrible beast, that waited, lurking behind the gods.

"Atem," Osiris said. "Your heart is free of sin, like you told us. Thank you for your honesty."

Atem opened his eyes, and stared at the scale. It was true, his heart was at the same level with the feather of truth. Ma'at smiled to him.

"Lies!" screamed someone. Atem spun around. It was Seth, Osiris' brother

Osiris raised his eyebrows to him.

"What do you mean?"

"He? Free of sin? How could he be!"

Osiris stood up, clearly angry.

"Explain yourself Seth, or leave!"

But the god had already turned to Ma'at.

"Ma'at doesn't it say in your law that man should not sleep with men?!"

Ma'at nodded. Seth pointed at Atem.

"That's my point! He, he slept with _my_ priest!"

Atem felt dizzy. Just for that? They were going to throw his heart to the beast just for that? He had known the gods would know his every secret, even these, that had happened so long ago.

_His name was Set, and he was priest of god Seth. He had been 20 when he had arrived to the palace. And to 18-year-old pharaoh, he had been the most interesting, the most beautiful man in the whole world._

_He had thought there was nothing wrong that Set spend so much time with him. More than the other priests. And Atem had thought there was nothing wrong with that Set was closer to him than anyone else, too close._

_Atem hadn't noticed his fall, until it was too late._

In the end both Atem and Set was punished for what they did. Set died, only few months later, and Atem was left alone, all alone, thinking of what he had done. Atem had thought he had got over it, but now, it was once again brought up, and Atem felt the same pain he had felt when Set had died.

Atem looked at Osiris, and asked:

"This is it? You're going to destroy my heart, and make me a ghost?"

Osiris tilted his head.

"Do you want to explain?"

"Explain what? My love for him? It can be explained with words," Atem said. "I don't regret it. Only thing I regret is that I didn't spend every moment with him until he was taken away from me."

Osiris turned to Seth.

"Do you really want to punish him for that? For loving another being?"

"Yes!" Seth screamed.

The argument might have turned to a real fight between the brothers unless Ma'at hadn't stopped them by saying:

"But the feather of the truth doesn't lie. His heart is free of every sin." Ma'at looked at Osiris and then at Seth and said: "I am the justice. I cannot lie. He may have sinned by my laws, but he has not sinned in his heart. He's free to go."

Seth humphed and disappeared to the shadows. Osiris sat back to his throne.

"If you're sure Ma'at," he said. "Congratulations Atem, you are free of every sin, and you are free to continue your trip."

Atem nodded, feeling unusually out of this world. When he passed the scale of truth Ma'at grabbed his hand and whispered to his ear:

"My feather may not always tell the whole truth, but my heart does, and so does yours. Go Atem. He is waiting for you."


End file.
